Can't Escape This Charming Life
by xxEmilyy
Summary: One-shot of what happens when Roosevelt manages to stop Gemma from killing Tara.


**This is a one-shot about what would have happened if Roosevelt and Juice had walked in before Gemma killed Tara.**

"Wayne, is that you?" Tara called as she walked into the kitchen, setting her bag down on the table. She took a few steps towards the door leading to the garage when an unforgettable sight presented itself to her. Gemma Teller-Morrow had found her. Tara froze while Gemma stopped dead in her tracks, obviously surprised to see the woman who was rumoured to have betrayed her only son out of selfishness to save herself from Charming.

Tara could see her mother-in-law's eyes filling up with rage. She watched as Gemma stepped in her direction like an animal carefully approaching its prey. Without a word, Gemma lunged at Tara and ran in the direction of the front door, but only made it a couple of feet before Gemma got hold of the back of her neck, grabbing the closest thing she could find that temporarily subdue Tara - a clothing iron - and shoved it hard in to her stomach. In an attempt to free herself of her clutches, Tara pushed back against Gemma, shoving her into the counter. Gemma's hand came up and she began to hit Tara repeatedly until she was dizzy from the assault, which gave the woman a chance to knock her daughter-in-law over, smacking her head on the edge of the sink and shoving her head into the dirty dish water.

Gemma held Tara hard as she struggled to get free from what Tara knew was the end. Tara banged her hand on the counter as if tapping out of a wrestling match. Unfortunately, there was no tapping out of a fight with Gemma Teller-Morrow. Gemma reached over and grabbed the first thing her fingers wrapped around - a carving fork - and pulled her hand back to gain enough strength to bring it down on her struggling opponent. Just as her arm came back, two strong hands grabbed hers and hauled her back, releasing her hold on Tara, who fell to the floor fighting for air and coughing up a storm.

"No!" Gemma shouted. "Let me go!" She turned to see who had grabbed her and was shocked to find Chief Roosevelt holding on to her tightly as she fought to get free to finish the job.

"Gemma, no!" Roosevelt shouted back. "What the hell are you doing?"

In her sudden delusional state, she said, "It has to be done. She betrayed Jax."

"What?" Tara gasped, barely audible enough to be heard.

Gemma continued to fight against the officer, but he had a stronger hold on her.

Suddenly, Juice came in, gun raised at Roosevelt's head. Roosevelt looked at Juice with warning eyes but the biker kept his eyes fixed on his. Gemma kept fighting but he wasn't letting go.

"Let her go," Juice warned in a whisper.

"She's going to kill Tara if I do," Roosevelt said in defense. "At least give me a chance to explain before there's blood all over the place."

"There's nothing to explain," cried Gemma, her angry eyes set on Tara. "Let me go!"

"Gemma!" Roosevelt shouted and she stopped. Tara watched carefully as Gemma stood there between the cop and the armed biker. Her hand was pressed against her chest, finally able to breathe new air after nearly drowning and whatever else Gemma had planned for her.

"This bitch made a goddamn deal -" Before she could finish, she was cut off.

"Tara didn't rat, Gemma," Roosevelt said cautiously, aware that Juice still had his gun raised.

Gemma looked from Roosevelt to Tara and back, obviously caught off guard by what she was told.

"Jax gave himself up to protect her."

Gemma froze in place and eyed the cop carefully. With her talent of reading people, she could see that what she was being told was the truth, no matter how much she didn't want to believe it. She looked down at Tara who was still fighting to fill her lungs while she stared down at the floor. Gemma dropped the fork and dropped to her knees, her face in her hands. Juice lowered his weapon but kept it in his hand in case Roosevelt tried anything.

"I'm sorry," Gemma sobbed.

Tara looked up towards her but this wasn't something that surprised her. If anything, she was grateful for the timing Roosevelt had and saving her life. But Gemma was unpredictable, so it was hard to say what was going to happen after this.

As Tara witnessed the scene before her, she realized that there was nowhere she could go that the club wouldn't find her. Gemma would always find her. She wanted so much to escape the club and Charming for the safety of her boys, but maybe now she thought that there is nowhere safer than in the surrounding members of SAMCRO, no matter how much she hated the business they were involved in. She didn't want Abel and Thomas to grow up knowing this life, but running away is something Tara swore she would never do. Long ago she made a promise to Jax that she wasn't going anywhere. When she made that promise she knew she had signed the sentence with the club. She knew what she was in for and this was the life she chose to live.

Roosevelt reached around his belt and Juice's arm suddenly came up, aiming his gun at the cop. Roosevelt held up one hand with caution.

"I'm just grabbing my phone, son," he said.

"For what?" Juice snapped.

"I'm calling Jax."

"No, you can't," Gemma said, jumping to her feet. "Do you have any idea what would happen if he knew what happened here?"

Roosevelt looked from Gemma to Juice to Tara and back at Gemma. "I'll take Tara to the hospital and have her looked at. I'll tell them that she fell and hit her head."

"They won't believe that," Juice said.

Roosevelt gave him a look. "Shall we give it a try?"

...

An hour later at St. Thomas, Tara was sitting in a hospital room being examined for any severe trauma. The doctor seeing her had tested her eye coordination with a small light and she proved to be just fine after many questions and physical exams.

Juice had decided to give Gemma a lift home and Roosevelt took that opportunity to call Jax. When Jax heard the news he was at St. Thomas in minutes - thankfully he wasn't that far. When he showed up, he wasted no time trying to find his wife. The whole ride over with Chibs and Bobby, all Jax could think about was how furious he was at his mother for nearly taking away the love of his life. It was true everyone believed that Tara had made a deal that would have shut down SAMCRO and sent Jax away, but there was always that little spark of hope that he still had in Tara that was unexplainable.

"Wait here," Jax instructed Chibs and Bobby. He entered the room and found Tara sitting on the edge of her bed, dressed down in a hospital gown, staring at the floor. Her forehead was black and blue from the whacks she took from Gemma and the impact with the kitchen sink.

"Jesus Christ," Jax muttered as he rushed over to his wife, taking her in his arms and holding her tighter than ever. Tara wasn't sure how to react at first, but she soon wrapped her numb arms around her husband's waist and broke down. Jax felt tears well up in his eyes when the shock and realization of almost losing the one thing he continued to live for was nearly taken from him. He knelt down in front of her and held her hands to his chest.

"What am I going to do, Jax?" Tara sobbed.

Jax shook his head. "I don't know, baby, but this can't go on."

"What?"

"I can't go through with this knowing that my mother tried to kill you."

"J-Jax, you can't -"

He jumped to his feet but he never let go of her hands, feeling as if she might actually disappear on him. "I can't leave you unprotected while I'm inside, Tara."

"I..." Her voice trailed off as she too realized that after everything she had done, she was on her own. "It's not as if I can go anywhere."

"You're not leaving?" The shock was not lost in his voice.

"I've had some time to think about this, Jax." She took a deep breath. She looked up and met his eyes, tears filling hers. "No matter where I go, Gemma is always going to find me. I won't make it twenty miles out of Charming before she finds out where I am."

"Tara -"

"I don't think I will ever escape this Charming life." She sniffed. "But I knew that this was what I signed up for when I came back. When we got married. This is my life now whether I like it or not."

"I don't want you unhappy." Jax knelt back down in front of her. He looked in her eyes and he knew that he was losing the argument. She had already made up her mind.

"I'm going to stay here and raise our boys, Jax." She tried her best to smile convincingly. "I've already put you through so much; trying to force my way out is only going to make this harder and it could have serious ramifications on them and I can't...I can't do that."

Jax reached up and cupped her face. He stood up and kissed her hard, knowing that this would be one of the last times he would get to touch her before he goes inside. As he kissed her, Jax knew that something good was on his side when his wife was saved from a demise at the hands of his own mother. His only concern now was how to keep his family safe when he knew that there will always be a threat made against them on his behalf. He felt responsible for what almost happened, but Tara was alive and his boys were happy - for now.

Tara pulled away from Jax and they looked each other in the eyes. Tears kept pouring from them, but the joy and relief was lingering between them.

"I love you, Tara, and I promise this won't be forever."

"One day at a time."


End file.
